Greater Napanee
Greater Napanee is a town in Lennox and Addington County in the Eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada and is approximately 40 kilometres or 24.8 miles west of Kingston. It is located on the eastern end of the Bay of Quinte. The present municipality known as Greater Napanee was created by amalgamating the old Town of Napanee with the townships of Adolphustown, North and South Fredericksburgh, and Richmond in 1999. Greater Napanee is co-extensive with the original Lennox County.
The town is home to the Allan Macpherson House, an historic 1826 property, and current-day museum. Macpherson was major of the Lennox Militia, operated the town's grist and saw mills as well as the distillery and general store. He served as post master and land agent, operated the first local printing press and helped fund the estabalishment of many local schools and churches. The home sits on the banks of the Napanee River, which runs through the town.
The largest employer is a Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company plant.[2] Napanee is also home to the headquarters to Dixie Lee Fried Chicken.
The main streets are Dundas Street (east-west) and Centre Street (north-south). Dundas Street is part of former Provincial Highway Number Two, also known as Kingston Road, and travels through downtown from Toronto in the west and onward to Kingston in the east. Centre Street travels through the centre of the town from the modern commercial area close to Highway 401 to the downtown and onwards to rural townships south of the town.
History
The area was originally settled by Loyalists in 1784 and was first incorporated in 1854. The first Loyalists settlers arrived at Adolphustown on June 15, 1784. Their landing spot and site of the first Loyalist cemetery in the area has been preserved by the Loyalists.[3] The original hamlet of Napanee was located at the site of a waterfall on the Napanee River, and was first known as Clarksville after Robert Clark, who built a grist mill there. Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, practised law in Napanee.[4]
Demographics
| Census |
Population |
| Napanee |
| 1841 |
500 |
| 1871 |
2,967 |
| 1881 |
3,680 |
| 1891 |
3,434 |
| 1901 |
3,143 |
| 1911 |
2,807 |
| 1921 |
3,038 |
| 1931 |
3,497 |
| 1941 |
3,405 |
| 1951 |
3,897 |
| 1961 |
4,500 |
| 1971 |
4,638 |
| 1981 |
4,803 |
| 1991 |
5,179 |
| Greater |
Napanee |
| 2001 |
15,132 |
| 2006 |
15,400 |
Population:[5]
- Population in 2006: 15400 (2001 to 2006 population change: 1.8 %)
- Population in 2001: 15132
- Population total in 1996: 14994
- Adolphustown: 946
- Napanee: 5450
- North Fredericksburgh: 3258
- Richmond: 4143
- South Fredericksburgh: 1197
- Population in 1991:
- Adolphustown: 886
- Napanee: 5179
- North Fredericksburgh: 3183
- Richmond: 4037
- South Fredericksburgh: 1222
Total private dwellings, excluding seasonal cottages: 6118 (total: 6695)
Mother tongue:
- English as first language: 94.8 %
- French as first language: 1.8 %
- English and French as first language: 0 %
- Other as first language: 3.4 %
Schools
Some students commute a short distance to Ernestown Secondary School to the east in Loyalist township,Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School further east in Kingston, or Loyalist Collegiate and Vocational Institute for the LEAP and Challenge Program in Kingston.
Notable people
- Alan Aylesworth Macnaughton, Senator and former Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Mount Royal between 1949-1966. Speaker of the House of Commons (1963–1966), founder of the Canadian branch of the World Wildlife Fund and Officer of the Order of Canada (1995). Born in Napanee on July 30, 1903. The Senator was the grandson of a former mayor of Napanee, Jehiel Aylesworth.[6]
- Albert Schultz, Gemini Award winning actor, he starred in the CBC Television hit drama Street Legal and the medical drama Side Effects. His theatre career includes leading roles at the Stratford Festival and as Founding Artistic Director of the Soulpepper Theatre Company. Schultz moved to Napanee at an early age and he attended elementary school there.[7]
- Andrew Martin, multi Covenant Award winning recording artist, handed out annually by the Gospel Music Association of Canada (formerly known as the CGMA). His album Departures is his debut mainstream album and features a collection of original songs and classic favorites in the Popera genre.[8]
- Arthur Eyguem De Montaigne Jarvis, World War I flying ace. As a member of the Royal Flying Corps scored seven victories [9] while serving with 17 Squadron . Awarded the United Kingdom's Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). Also decorated by the government of France with the Croix de Guerre with Palm.[10] Jarvis was born in Napanee and spent his childhood there. His father was the deacon of the Anglican church in Napanee.
- Avril Lavigne, Grammy nominated, multi-Juno and MTV Award winning pop/pop rock music star. Her debut album, Let Go has sold 17 million copies worldwide. Avril sang about Napanee in the song "My World" from this album.[11]
- Edmund James Bristol, Born (September 4, 1861) and raised in Napanee. Member of Parliament (MP) serving the electoral district of Toronto Centre in the Canadian House of Commons (1905 by-election and re-elected in 1908, 1911, 1917, 1921, and 1925). In 1921, he served as Minister without Portfolio in Prime Minister Arthur Meighen's cabinet.[12] An avid sportsman, Edmund Bristol won the Royal Canadian Yacht Club's Prince of Wales Cup in 1895.[13]
- George Sproule, a member of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame. George played with the Brampton OALA senior champions of 1912, 1913, 1914, 1926, 1930 and 1931. The 1930 and 1931 teams were also national Mann Cup Champions. Sproule was the first recipient of the Jim Murphy Memorial Trophy as the Ontario Association's most valuable and most sportsmanlike player.[14]
- Kathleen Frances Daly, painter. Born in Napanee on May 28, 1898. Closely associated with the Group of Seven, her works can be found in many major Canadian exhibitions as well as in exhibits in London, England.[15]
- H. Bedford-Jones, born in Napanee, Henry James O'Brien Bedford-Jones (1887–1949) was a Canadian historical adventure fantasy and science fiction writer. He wrote over 100 novels and was considered one of the leading pulp fiction writers of the 20th century.[16]
- Jason Germain, co-lead singer and chief songwriter for multi-Juno Award winning contemporary Christian recording artists, downhere. Born in Napanee, Germain began singing in the town's Baptist church. His most recent win was at the 2009 Juno Awards with downhere's album Ending is Beginning. downhere were also Juno winners in 2002 and 2007.[17]
- John Gibbard, founded the Gibbard Furniture Company in Napanee in 1835. The company operated for 173 years and was the oldest furniture maker in Canada and one of the oldest continuously operating companies in North America at the time of its closing. Gibbard's furniture can be found in many Canadian embassies around the world.[18]
- Sir John A. Macdonald, lawyer, businessman, politician, first Prime Minister of Canada. At age 17, Sir John A. managed a branch legal office in Napanee (1832–1834). As Prime Minister he would bring Manitoba, BC and PEI into the confederation of Canada. Sir John A. Macdonald was the architect of the transcontinental railway that united the West Coast with the rest of Canada. This critical rail link was a condition for B.C. joining the confederation.[19]
- Leroy Blugh, Former Canadian Football League defensive lineman who played fifteen seasons in the CFL including eleven seasons for the Edmonton Eskimos. Two-time CFL West Division All-Star, Grey Cup Champion (1993).
- Lesley Thompson, Four time Olympic medalist, including winner of an Olympic Gold Medal in the Women's Eights Rowing event in Barcelona, Spain, 1992
- Michael Breaugh, Member of Parliament (MP) in the Canadian House of Commons (1990–1993) representing the electoral district of Oshawa. Prior to that Breaugh served as Member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Oshawa in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (1975 to 1990).[20]
- LCol Michael Sweeney, Commanded 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment (1993). Later commanded northern sector of United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission at Umm Qasr, Iraq (2000). Appointed Chief of Staff of the Canadian Forces Support Training Group, CFB Borden (2007), subsequently appointed interim commander, CFB Borden (2008).[21]
- Ralph McCabe, former Major League Baseball pitcher with the Cleveland Indians (1946)[22]
- Reginald Aldworth Daly, (1871–1957) geologist; taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1907–12) before joining Harvard University (1912–42). He was an authority on igneous rocks and the geological structures of the Earth's crust and independently developed the theory of magmatic stoping. Daly was awarded the Penrose Medal in 1935, the Wollaston Medal in 1942[23] and the William Bowie Medal in 1946. Craters on Mars and the Moon are named in his honor. His home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, (the Reginald A. Daly House) is now an American National Historic Landmark.[24]
- Scott Finlay, former member of the Canadian National Ski team. Finlay won the overall points honours at the Pontiac Cup Ski Championship in Mont Tremblant, Quebec on March 7, 1976. On February 24, 1978, at age 21, Finlay suffered a career ending, debilitating head injury at the Canadian Men's Downhill Ski Championships at Lake Louise, Alberta when he veered off course at high speeds and crashed into a wooded area 200 meters from the finish.[25][26]
- Stuart Wood, was born in Napanee on October 17, 1889, served as the ninth Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, from March 6, 1938 to April 30, 1951. He was a CMG (Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George) and the great-great grandson of U.S. President Zachary Taylor.[27]
- William Sexsmith, was born in Napanee on October 23, 1885 and served as a Member of Provincial Parliament in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1933 to 1943.[28] William Sexsmith also served as president of the Canadian Hockey Association known today as Hockey Canada.[29]
Sports
The Napanee Raiders Jr. C hockey club joined the Empire B Junior C Hockey League in 1989. In that time they have claimed eight league championships. In 1993 they went on to capture the All-Ontario, Clarence Schmalz Cup as the Ontario Hockey Association's Junior "C" ice hockey champions by defeating the Hanover Barons of the Western Ontario Junior C Hockey League. The Raiders are the only EBJCHL team to ever capture the All Ontario title. Their home games are played in the newly constructed Strathcona Paper Centre. Prior to the Raiders, Napanee played in the Quinte-St. Lawrence Junior C Hockey League as The Napanee Kelly Tiremen. Their uniform resembled the green, yellow and white uniform of the Minnesota North Stars formerly of the NHL. In 1980, the Kelly Tiremen were rebranded as the Napanee Warriors. The Warriors and the league ceased operation in 1986.
Napanee made one appearance in the Ontario Junior "B" Provincial hockey championship playoffs during the 1934-35 season. The Napanee team was eliminated by Peterborough, from the Sutherland Cup quarter final playoffs in a two games, total goals series.
Main article:
Napanee CometsThe Napanee Comets were a successful Ontario Major Intermediate A Hockey team that won three consecutive Ontario championships in 1958, 1959 and 1960 and provincial Intermediate B championships in 1971 and 1972.
The Lennox & Addington Lynx floor hockey team took the gold medal at the Special Olympics Canadian National Winter Games in Quebec City in 2008, defeating teams from across the country.
Napanee is also well known for its success in both boys and girls softball. The Napanee North Key Express won the 2010 Canadian Junior fastball championship defeating the host Nova Scotia Eagles 6-1 in the national final. The Napanee (Junior) Express boys claimed a National Junior Fastball title in 1996 while Napanee Midget boys fastpitch teams have won national championships on two occasions. The Napanee Legionnaires captured the Canadian title in 1982 and the Napanee (Midget) Express took top honours in 1997.[30] Also in 2008, the Napanee (Bantam) Express girls fastball team captured the provincial tier II title defeating Oakville 7-4 in the final.[31] The girls also became the first team in Napanee history to qualify for the Eastern Canadian Championships where they finished in second place.[32]
The Napanee Golf and Country Club was established in 1897. The course has nine holes, with different tees for the front and back nine. The course record is 63 set by legendary American golfer Sam Snead.[33]
The Napanee Curling Club was established in 1957 and numerous teams have captured Zone and District titles.[34] Napanee was selected to host the 2010 Ontario Tankard, the annual men's curling championship that sends its winner to the Canadian championship. The event was held February 1–7 at the Strathcona Paper Centre. Glenn Howard, representing Coldwater and District Curling Club, completed a perfect week by defeating Bryan Cochrane of the Rideau Curling Club 5-3 in the final, to capture his fifth straight title.
Napanee District Secondary School is the home of the Golden Hawks. The Golden Hawks field teams in various sports including hockey, football, basketball, rugby, gymnastics, volleyball, swimming and track. The Golden Hawks compete against high schools teams in the "Kingston Area Secondary Schools Athletic Association" (KASSAA). In 2008, the Napanee girls rugby team and the boys junior and senior squads all won league championships. In 2009, the girls gymnastics team earned the bronze medal for their overall result at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association's (OFSAA) provincial gymnastics championship meet held in Windsor, Ontario.
Shopping
The downtown area of Napanee has experienced a recent revival ( "A Changing Landscape" ) and is home to a number of boutiques such October's Clothing, Starlet and Serendipity Studio. Nearby are Len's Bakery, John's Restaurant, Louie's Restaurant and The Loaf N Ale. A gourmet coffee shop, Coffee Cravings, sits on the corner of Dundas St E. and John St.
Giant Tiger can be found at the corner of Industrial Boulevard and Centre Street North, in the uptown core. The store features a 200-foot mural by Pierre Hardy. The community also includes a Walmart, a Canadian Tire, and a Home Hardware. A No Frills grocery store is located in the Napanee Mall, and there is a Metro grocery store, (formerly the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, known as the A&P), down the road from the Napanee Mall.
On the east end of town at the Palace Road exit of Highway 401 is the newly constructed 'Palace Village' that includes numerous small boutique and speciality shops, as well as the Smiling Wilderness restaurant.
A Flying J gas station and truck stop is located off Highway 401 on Highway 41.
A well known favorite of tourists and locals alike is the Chip Truck in Springside Park that has been a "must visit" for over 20 years. In September 2010 the Chip Truck was asked to move from the park while renovations were done and it is currently located in the North Fredricksburg Sports Complex south on county road 8.
Napanee is also the home of "La Pizzeria", made famous by Avril Lavigne's declaration to Rolling Stone Magazine that her "favourite pizza" was served there.[35]
Media
There are two weekly newspapers in Napanee. The Napanee Guide and the Napanee Beaver, both distributed on Thursdays. Napanee is served primarily by radio and television stations from the larger Kingston market. In 2007, a new radio station, CKYM, opened in Napanee on 88.7 FM. Since August 2009, 88.7 MyFM will air all OHL Kingson Frontenacs Hockey for the next 3 seasons.
Live Theatre
Greater Napanee is home to Lennox Community Theatre (formerly Lennox Theatre Guild) which operates from The Village Theatre in the village of Selby. The theatre seats 80 and mounts five productions annually from September through June.[36] An historical collection of programs stored at the theatre shows that Avril Lavigne performed on stage there as a child in productions of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, and Godspell.
References
- ^ a b Statistics Canada 2006 Census - Greater Napanee community profile
- ^ "History of Goodyear Tire Company - 1988". http://www.goodyear.com/corporate/history/history_byyear.html.
- ^ 225 Years of History Retrieved: August 20, 2010
- ^ "Sir John A. Macdonald: Father of Confederation". City of Kingston. http://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/culture/heritage/macdonald/index.asp.
- ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
- ^ "Alan Macnaughton Biography". Parliament of Canada. http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Files/Parliamentarian.aspx?Item=9dabb150-bb52-445b-84d2-25d358e604a2&Language=E&Section=FederalExperience.
- ^ "Albert Schultz Biography". Soulpepper. http://www.soulpepper.ca/the_company/the_artists/founding_members/albert_schultz.aspx.
- ^ "Andrew Martin at CBC Radio 3". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/bands/Andrew-Martin.
- ^ "Arthur Jarvis". Aerodrome. http://theaerodrome.com/aces/canada/jarvis1.php.
- ^ "Arthur Jarvis". Canadian Veterans Hall of Valour. http://www.canadaveteranshallofvalour.com/JarvisAE.htm.
- ^ "Avril Lavigne biography". Music City. http://www.music-city.org/Avril-Lavigne/biography/.
- ^ "Edmund James Bristol biography". Parliament of Canada. http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Files/Parliamentarian.aspx?Item=e6786985-b2b3-47ed-b311-263fcfc27c2a&Language=E.
- ^ "Edmond James Bristol bio". Dictionary of Canadian Biographies. http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=8044.
- ^ "George Sproule biography". Brampton Sports Hall of Fame. http://www.bramptonsports.ca/inductee.php?pk=33.
- ^ "Kathleen Frances Daly". Canadian Encyclopedia. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0002115.
- ^ "H. Bedford-Jones". Internet Science Fiction Database. http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?H._Bedford-Jones.
- ^ "Another Napanee Native Wins Juno". The Napanee Guide. http://www.napaneeguide.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1516014.
- ^ "Gibbard Furniture-Business and History". University of Western Ontario Libraries. http://www.lib.uwo.ca/programs/companyinformationcanada/ccc-gibbard.htm.
- ^ "Sir John A. Macdonald". Canadian Encyclopedia. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=a1ARTA0004867.
- ^ "Michael Breaugh biography". Parliament of Canada. http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Files/Parliamentarian.aspx?Item=7c388d76-1853-476a-b3de-862aa7255d82&Language=E.
- ^ Cheryl Browne (July 31, 2008). "LCol Sweeney named interim commander at CFB Borden". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/article/470229. .
- ^ "Ralph McCabe". Baseball Almanac. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=mccabra01.
- ^ "Wollaston Medal". Award Winners since 1831. Geological Society of London. http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/gsl/null/lang/en/page750.html. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
- ^ "Reginald Aldworth Daly". Encyclopædia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/150329/Reginald-Aldworth-Daly.
- ^ "Scott Finlay Crash Photo, National Newspaper Awards - Spot News". Calgary Herald, John Colville photographer. http://www.nna-ccj.ca/lb/view_winner_detail.php?media_id=1110.
- ^ "Read Captures Downhill Race", The Montreal Gazette, Canadian Press (Montreal): page 42, February 25, 1978
- ^ "Stuart Taylor Wood". http://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armyunits/canadiancavalry/rcmpwood.htm. Retrieved June 25, 2006.
- ^ "William Sexsmith biography". Manitoba Historical Society. http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/sexsmith_wr.shtml.
- ^ "William Sexsmith". Encylo Online Encyclopedia. http://www.encyclo.co.uk/define/William%20Sexsmith.
- ^ "RESULTS - Canadian Midget Boys Fast Pitch Championships". http://www.softball.ca/files/CCRESULTSBEFORE1998.DOC.
- ^ "Ontario PWSA Fastpitch Champions 2008". http://www.ontariofastpitch.ca/2008-grand-champions.
- ^ "Napanee Softball Girls Advance". http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1151154&auth=THE%20WHIG-STANDARD.
- ^ "Napanee Golf and Country Club". http://www.napaneegolf.ca/course.htm.
- ^ "Napanee & District Curling Club - Special Accomplishments". http://www.ndcc.ca/Club.Member%20Info/Napanee.accomplishments.Oct08.pdf.
- ^ "Avril Upsets Hometown Diner With Pizza Revelation". http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/story/avril-upsets-hometown-diner-with-pizza-revelation.
- ^ "Error: no
|title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". http://www.lennoxtheatre.ca/.
External links